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Formerly
part of Romania, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union
at the close of World War II. Although independent from the
USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory
east of the Dniester River supporting the Slavic majority population,
mostly Ukrainians and Russians, who have proclaimed a "Transnistria"
republic. The poorest nation in Europe, Moldova became the first
former Soviet state to elect a Communist as its president in
2001.
Moldova has a total land area of 33,371 sq
km, devided in 32 raions, 3 municipalities, 1 autonomous territorial
unit, and 1 territorial unit. The total population was 4,267,000
people in 2003, with 971,000 under 18 years old.
The situation of children worsened in Moldova
as a result of the upheavals in the country, which now ranks
as one of the poorest nations in Europe. By quality of
life and living standards, which is much below the Eastern
Europe and CIS averages, Moldova ranks 25th out of 26 countries
in the region, followed only by Tajikistan. Around 40% of Moldovans
live in poverty. An estimated 600,000 people have left the
country
– around one-seventh of the population. Unemployment hits the
young first and hardest, as young people, including those
with higher education, account for the great majority of unemployed
people. Half of those who went abroad in search of a job are
younger than 30.
Child protection concerns
Vulnerability factors
- More than half of Moldova’s people live below the poverty
line, with children, young people and families with more
than five members among the poorest inhabitants. This
is associated with an increase in inequality, the average
income per person in rural areas being 18 percent lower
than the country average. Thirty seven percent of children
are classified as currently working for over four hours
per day, a child in rural area or in a poor family being
twice as likely to work. Working children are much more
likely to drop out of school and fall into the cycle of
poverty and disadvantage. Working conditions are usually
unregulated, exposing children to increased risks of exploitation
and abuse. One third of young people aged 18-29 claims
they do not earn the minimum required for their own or
their family’s survival. Another
40 percent claim they only earn enough to meet the most
basic needs.
Deprivation of parental care
-
A deep-seated tradition of institutionalization,
combined with rising numbers of abandoned and disabled
children has resulted in increasing numbers of children
deprived of parental care. An increase in the number
of
‘social orphans’ has recently been observed - children
abandoned or placed into care by their parents due to
poverty or left behind by migrant parents. The residential
institutions blatantly violate the most basic rights
of about one percent of all Moldovan children, since
their basic needs are unmet resulting in low physical,
emotional and social development. Children with disabilities
are exposed to the highest risk of abandonment as institutionalization
is used as an inadequate ‘band-aid’ social protection
solution. There are few family-based alternatives for
children deprived of parental care and the adoption
of the Law on children in difficulty that is supposed
to insure the legal framework for alternatives to institutionalized
care is still pending.
Deprivation of liberty
-
The crisis of family support for the
child is accompanied by the ineffectiveness of the state’s
social policies and in most areas the lack of civil society
support for children. The fragmentation of responsibilities,
institutions and resources in the system of child protection
at national and regional / local levels is one of the main
problems. In the small towns and isolated villages there
are no institutions and human resources responsible for
child protection.
Exposure to violence, exploitation and abuse
- Domestic violence against children (and especially boys)
is broadly accepted inside the family and even at school.
Almost 3 children per thousand died from violence and poisoning
in 2002
- Children are sometimes exploited as labour force in the
household or even as agricultural/occasional workers for
local employers (especially in rural areas).
- Poverty has fuelled child trafficking, Moldova being one
of the main countries of origin for the trafficking in women
and children for the purpose of begging and sexual exploitation
in Western Europe, Balkans, Russia and the Middle East.
From January 2000 to April 2003 a total of 1,131 victims
of trafficking have been identified and assisted . However,
real figures are considered to be much higher as extremely
few victims are screened, identified and referred to assistance
upon their return to Moldova. The majority of victims are
very young, 58% are between 18 and 24 years of age when
they are returned to Moldova; 30% were children (ie. below
the age of 18 years) at the time they were trafficked. Certain
categories of children are particularly vulnerable, including
school-drop outs and children from poor, disadvantaged and
dysfunctional families. Each tens victim have grown up in
childcare institutions, this group being 10 times more vulnerable
to trafficking.
Discrimination and social exclusion
-
A poll in 2000 found nearly 40 percent
of young people would leave forever Moldova if they had
the opportunity, while others intend to live abroad temporary
and only nine percent of young people wish to stay in
Moldova. Migration to neighbouring countries or to Western
Europe, either legally or through clandestine means, has
become a way of sustaining family budgets. An estimated
600,000 people have left the country – one seventh of
the population.
Partners
UNICEF's main partners are the Ministries
of Labour and Social Affairs, Internal Affairs, Justice, Education,
local administrations, and NGOs, including Every Child, Terre
des Hommes, AiBi, SOROS Foundation, and Alliance of NGOs working
in family and child protection. We work in close coordination
and collaboration with key donors involved in child protection,
in particular with DFID, SIDA, TACIS (EU) and the Social
Investment Fund of the World Bank. |
